Due to a faulty hyperlink, this section must be accessed in the following way:

• Dinner and Dance - Iceberg>Iceberg Dead Ahead


• Go to the Astern/Ahead navigation (top right hand corner) and click 'Astern'

As the winter of 1911 - 1912 had been very mild, icebergs breaking away from the Arctic glaciers had drifted south towards the busy Atlantic shipping lanes. The Titanic's radio officers received several ice warnings, and two crew members were posted to 'keep a sharp look out for the ice'. Although it was a perfectly clear night, the Titanic passed through a patch of mist to face an iceberg straight ahead. Despite attempts to turn the ship, the Titanic scraped against the iceberg, tearing a 30 metre gash in her hull.


iceberg photo courtesy of Oskar Henriksson

Ice sounds
Ice makes an incredible variety of sounds. Coleridge's description in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is inspired by the accounts of early polar explorers.

The ice was here, the ice was there,
The ice was all around:
It cracked and growled, and roared and howled
Like noises in a swound

In The Wreck of the Titanic, David Bedford provides a group composition activity for ice based on some of these early accounts.

As large icebergs drift south and slowly melt, huge chunks of ice break off and fall into the sea, creating smaller icebergs. The sound is like a tremendous crack of thunder.
Sometimes, icebergs close together scrape against one other to make strange grinding sounds.

Melting icebergs make a fizzing sound as air bubbles trapped in the iceberg pop. Pieces keep breaking off as icebergs drift further south until they become very much smaller. These are called 'bergey bits'. Bergey bits less than a metre high are called 'growlers', and are not a danger to shipping.

Web Links

• Icebergs make sounds outside the range of human hearing. Teachers can find out about 'singing icebergs' at Andreas Bick's Silent Listening site (unfortunately, the movies will not be available for classroom use)


• Children will be interested in the ice musical instruments of Norwegian musician and sculptor Terje Isungset.


• The International Ice Patrol was set up after the Titanic enquiry to alert shipping in the North Atlantic. There is an excellent children's site detailing the life of icebergs.

Activities for the Classroom: Sound Log
A ship's log is an important record of everything that happens on a ship's voyage. It is filled in daily, and records the weather, the ship's course, distance covered each day, etc. It is a bit like the 'black box' of an aircraft.

Children could compose their own 'sound log' plotting the course of the Titanic from the time she reaches the edge of the ice field to the collision with the iceberg.

• As the Titanic reaches the edge of the ice fields, she meets with small and harmless pieces of ice. Think of words to describe the sounds they might make as the ship's bow wave disturbs them - high/ringing/ tinkling etc
• As the Titanic moves further into the ice field, she meets with very small icebergs called 'growlers'.
• The ship bumps against a 'growler', turning it over in the water. It rocks from side to side, making a ringing,'wavery' sound. Try filling a metal saucepan with a little water. Hold the handle, and tap the edge of the pan with a metal rod (e.g. triangle beater). Swill the water from side to side. What happens to he sound?
• Think of other ways to make this effect. Fill a washing up bowl with water. Strike a large triangle, and dip it in and out of the water while it is still vibrating. Can you say why the sound changes?
• Try other metal instruments like Indian bells and cymbals to suggest different sizes of 'growler' and 'bergey bits'.
• As the Titanic sails on, the ice sounds become more threatening. Create fizzing scraping, and distant, rumbling sounds as distant icebergs split, or rub against one another. You could record your sounds using free Audacity software, and add echo effects.
• As the Titanic passes through the mist, there is complete silence
• As the lookouts spot the iceberg, the ship's bell is rung three times to warn the officers on the bridge
• What sounds might the ship make as the engines are put into reverse?
• What sounds will be heard as the steel plates of Titanic's hull are torn open as the bow scrapes along the iceberg?

Using ICT

• Children could use Audacity to record their completed 'sound log'
• They could search the internet for ice sounds created using ICT. Although many sites are commercial, children could explore the sounds online to get ideas for creating their own sounds with Audacity. Try http://www.soundsnap.com/tags/ice
• David Bedford's Iceberg composition activity considers how the impact of the iceberg was perceived in different parts of the ship. Visit David Ashworth's Titanic Soundtracks resource at www.thewreckofthetitanic.com for ways of interpreting this using Audacity.